In Gentle Tones of Warmest White | Oumami

Chapter 7

"Wake up, sleepyhead!"

A feeble groan left Rantaro's lips as he begrudgingly opened his eyes.

Immediately, he was greeted with a wide, mischievous smile. "Finally! And here I thought that I was supposed to be the sleeping beauty around here!"

Hovering over him was none other than Kokichi, hands on the bed next to either side of his head as he straddled Rantaro.

Green eyes blinked groggily at gleaming purple ones. "Took ya long enough!" Kokichi chirped.

"What time is it...?" Rantaro's tired eyes wandered to the clock on the nightstand. It was a little before 9 in the morning. A little early to some- but to an early riser like him, it was actually a little late. "Man, why'd I sleep for so long?"

Kokichi shrugged. "Must've been having a good dream. I wonder what it was about..." He brought a finger up to his cheek, tilting his head and thinking. "Ooh, were you dreaming about me?"

Rantaro laughed a little, closing his eyes. "I already have enough of you now. The last thing I'd do is dream about you." Out of context, his words would come off as a little harsh. The gentle tone of his morning voice added a softness to his words, however, helping prove that he was just joking around.

The fake crocodile tears came in an instant. "You've already had enough of me?!" Kokichi wailed. "Y-you're so mean!"

"Don't be like that," Rantaro let out another laugh. "But, seriously though. This is your..." He paused to think for a moment. "Third day here? Isn't your family worried?"

The crocodile tears came to a stop. "Oh, you're already wanting to meet my family?" Kokichi teased, leaning closer to Rantaro. Their noses brushed against one another. "My, my, Ranty-chan, we only had our first kiss just yesterday~"

Rantaro's breath hitched in his throat. His gaze never wavered as he stared directly into Kokichi's eyes. "Well, you've already met some of mine," He explained. "So it's only fair."

Kokichi sat back upright. "Some?" He questioned. "You have more than five sisters?"

"Five?" Rantaro questioned. "Only four live here."

Kokichi shrugged. "Does it matter?" He asked. "How many sisters do you have?"

Rantaro smiled. "Twelve."

"Twelve?"

"Twelve." He nodded. "All little sisters."

"No way," Although Kokichi had a neutral look on his face, there was a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

"Yep." Rantaro nodded once more.

Kokichi cringed slightly. "Nothing personal, but please tell me you're not all biologically related..."

Rantaro laughed. "Are you kidding? Definitely not." He assured. "A few, maybe, but..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Actually, I could show you some pictures of them if you'd get off of me."

Kokichi pursed his lips in thought. "I don't know, Ranty-chan," He hummed. He lifted up on of his hands from the mattress, bringing it to Rantaro's chest. "I kinda like this seat," He pressed his finger lightly against the smooth shirt separating their skin, dragging his finger down and making random swirly patterns over his torso. "Why would I need pictures of them if I'm going to meet them, anyways?" He asked.

Sometimes, Rantaro found Kokichi hard to read (which did prove to be annoying at times, but nothing he couldn't handle); this time around, he was certain he could tell from the way Kokichi's voice sounded to the way his expression didn't falter that there was no hidden intentions behind his actions. It was a pure gesture- nothing short of Kokichi being his usual overly touchy-feely self- yet Rantaro found himself enjoying it more than he would have liked to admit. (Not in an indecent way per se; it was more of an innocent, honest enjoyment. The kind of simple pleasure someone feels when they share intimate contact with someone aside from their family for the first time.)